Get it right

It’s still very early in the process but already there seems to be plenty of interest over how to develop the “market square” planned for where the Rainy Lake Hotel once stood.
There were plenty of “likes” on Facebook over the weekend to the suggestion to build a replica fort on the spot. We are “Fort” Frances, of course, but have been without one since Fort St. Pierre at the Point was demolished back in 2003 after being allowed to decay beyond repair.
As Nathalie Donaldson noted in her letter to the editor this week, “it’s a smart move for a tourist town to feature such a huge part of the history of our area.”
Another suggestion was for a spray park along the lines of the one in Emo.
Now that the town has chosen Winnipeg-based Scatliff Miller Murray to oversee the square’s design, hopefully this interest on social media translates into good attendance at public consultation sessions that will be held in the coming months.
The downtown site is prime real estate, after all, and it’s imperative that as many ideas as possible are put forward on how best to utilize it.
Two things are clear. It will need to be something more than a simple “market square” in order to get tourists to stop. As well, any design will have to incorporate improved parking so tourists towing boats or trailers, or driving monstrous motorhomes, have somewhere to actually pull in.
We have a real opportunity here to bolster our town’s appearance and future fortunes. Let’s be sure to get it right.